The first round is in the books, and Trysta’s doing autopsies on the Rockets and other eliminated teams. Plus, Trysta talks about the Pacers big win in Game 1 against the Cavaliers before being joined by NBA insider Jake Fischer to break down all of the latest storylines and offseason predictions on the way.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
On this episode of the Heat Check, the first round
of the playoffs are officially done, and I'm here to
autopsy over the bodies and see what's next for the
team still playing. We will look at the Game seven
of Rockets Warriors, as well as breakdown the first game
of Calves and Pacers.
Speaker 2 (00:19):
We then get into an interview with.
Speaker 1 (00:20):
My guy, the People's Insider, Jake Fisher, who's gonna break
down all the transaction tee for us. So much to
talk about, Wyatt, do me a favor. Drop that motherfucking
beat that should be Rihanna.
Speaker 3 (00:31):
You're listening to the Hottest, the Hottest. It be a
podcast out here. I said what I said. It's the
heat Check Chack Check, which just up.
Speaker 1 (00:46):
Man Warriors Rockets Game seven just a tale of two cities,
a tale of two guards, both who rewrote the reputation
in one sort of ugly anti climactic game.
Speaker 2 (01:06):
It was disappointing. I'm just gonna be honest.
Speaker 1 (01:08):
I turned it off at parts and came back to
it at parts because the Warriors it wasn't as big
of a win as it looks at one oh three
eighty nine because they cut it to three. But you
were like, let's be honest this thing, Houston's not really
gonna win this game. Halfway through the fourth quarter, Houston
(01:28):
made a run and they could have cut it to five,
but Alprin Shangun got blocked and then immediately Buddy Heald
hit a deep three. Buddy fucking Healed where like Jimmy
Butler was like anybody but Buddy he was the butt
of all their jokes all postseason long, and Buddy Healed
had tied the most three pointers in any playoff game
(01:49):
in history.
Speaker 2 (01:50):
Just incredible stuff.
Speaker 1 (01:53):
Buddy Healed winning the game with this defense on a
night where he shot nine for eleven from three was
no on No One's Bengo card.
Speaker 2 (02:02):
Steve Kerr was like, yeah, Buddy Held.
Speaker 1 (02:04):
Set the tone for us defensively, and boy, oh boy,
now you see how important Klay Thompson was to this team.
Because Klay Thompson wasn't getting nine for eleven threes in
twenty twenty four. He was doing that in twenty sixteen,
and that is what they needed, and they got it.
Speaker 2 (02:24):
When they needed it the most.
Speaker 1 (02:27):
If he didn't go nuclear in the first half, I
don't even know how the game would have ended up.
Speaker 2 (02:32):
Man, after the game.
Speaker 1 (02:33):
He was asked about the Game seven Heroics, and all
he said was it was a childhood dream.
Speaker 2 (02:37):
We talk about Game sevens.
Speaker 1 (02:39):
We all want to play in Game sevens, but when
you're actually playing in a Game seven, it's one of
the hardest things ever. I think Buddy hil rewrote his
legacy in that game. That's one of the most That's
probably Buddy Hill's most important game he's ever played in
his career. And I watched him play for Oklahoma and
ether my Oregon Ducks. That was probably the second most
(02:59):
important game ever played in. And then in the other hand,
the player who Man, I want to root for him,
I really do.
Speaker 2 (03:09):
I'm rooting for him. I told you though, I fucking
told you guys.
Speaker 1 (03:13):
And then after I put out the clip, he goes
for thirty eight, and I'm like, I want to apologize
to Jalen, but I don't really want to apologize the
Jalen because I still don't quite believe in Jalen Green.
Speaker 2 (03:27):
He had one good game in seven games.
Speaker 1 (03:31):
He had more nail polished changing games than he had
game changing games. I just don't know about him yet,
and I don't think Houston knows about him. Yet fred
Van Fleet said that he has more potential than any
other guard in the NBA other than Aunt Edwards. And
(03:54):
I think considering that Fredman Fleet was probably the best
Houston Rockets player on the floor at any given time.
No shade Alprin Shangoun like, that's one hell of a
piece of praise. But in the last five games, Jalen
Green averaged nine point six points per game, shooting thirty
five percent from the floor, twenty three percent from three,
(04:16):
and sixty five percent from the free throw line. That's horrific.
That's horrific. That's unconscionable, that is un unsalvageable, indefensible. He
had eight points and five turnovers in a one possession
loss in Game three. If Jalen Green had twenty points
(04:38):
in that game, Golden State's in Cabo right now. If
you throw out his thirty eight point explosion, he averaged
nine points in six games. I'm rooting for him. I
am I'm rooting for him. I hope he develops into something.
Chill Town Hoops was on last week and he thinks
(05:00):
he could be an all NBA player.
Speaker 2 (05:01):
I really hope that that's right.
Speaker 1 (05:04):
The question is, is he an All NBA player for
the Houston Rockets. That's the question that I think everybody
wants to know. Now there's speculation that the Rockets want
to bring in a score. Their most valuable trade chip
is Jalen Green, who is locked up on a favorable
rookie extension at just one hundred million dollars. I believe
that Houston makes no moves in the offseason. I think
(05:31):
they continue to run it back. I think they wonder
whether Jalen Green's experience in this series will lead him
to some consistency in the next series. But I tell
you what, he won't have many more opportunities if next series,
next playoffs, they end up in this exact same place.
(05:52):
Houston continues to preach patients. They want to build like
Okay see, they want to build like Detroit's building. They
want to be the young team that's sustainable, not just
bubblegum buckets, not just getting a thirty seven year old
and trying to add him to the fray. So, Jalen,
this is a very important offseason for you because I
(06:12):
don't want to be right, but I feel like that
seven game series is enough to be keeping Rafael Stone
and Eme Udoka up all fucking night.
Speaker 2 (06:22):
All right, moving on? What did we just see? What
did I just watch? I was told?
Speaker 1 (06:29):
I was told that the Cleveland Cavaliers are too much
for the Indiana Pacers.
Speaker 2 (06:36):
I was told that.
Speaker 1 (06:37):
I said, but what about how deep the Pacers are?
I mean, you know about Halliburton, we know.
Speaker 2 (06:43):
About him, But do you know about Andrew and Imhart?
Do you know about him?
Speaker 1 (06:48):
We know about Miles Turner, but do you know about
the games where Obi Toppin explodes on your face?
Speaker 2 (06:54):
Pause? Like do you know about him?
Speaker 1 (06:57):
Like we know about Pascal si Yakham, But do you
know about Benedict Mathrin, and Andrew Neismith, Aaron Nesmith. I
don't even know about Andrew Neiesmith, Aaron Nacenismith. They are
fucking deep and they come in waves. Do you know
about all of these?
Speaker 2 (07:16):
Pause? Do you know about these players? Because they put
up buckets. They went to the Eastern Conference Finals just
last year.
Speaker 1 (07:25):
But I am told that they're supposed to be dominated
by Cleveland.
Speaker 2 (07:31):
Six players in double digits.
Speaker 1 (07:33):
In Game one, Andrew nemhard Tyres Halliburton stole home court
from the number one overall seed. Hallie went twenty two,
three and thirteen. He had four stocks, good for fucking him,
had thirteen assists for thirty four points, eight threes. Nemby
shot seventy percent.
Speaker 2 (07:52):
From the field.
Speaker 1 (07:53):
Nemby aka the Nemhard of Wemby's and had five threes.
Indiana was just too fast, and without Garland, this is
a team that's a little more clunky than we want
him to be.
Speaker 2 (08:09):
He has a little toe injury, big toe injury.
Speaker 1 (08:12):
It's a little big toe injury, and he's supposedly not
going to play in Game two as well. And that's
the same toe injury that turned Austin Reeves into the
guy that you see at YMCA.
Speaker 2 (08:27):
That's where we're at on that, like that is what
it is.
Speaker 1 (08:30):
Add that to the fact that DeAndre Hunter dislocated his thumb.
People were saying he looked hungover in that first game.
Evan Mobley reaggravated an existing ankle injury, and all of
a sudden, outside of Donovan Mitchell, we could be staring
at some trouble. This is what happened last year when
(08:50):
Indiana played the Knicks, and you add issues with og
and Andobi Mitchell.
Speaker 2 (08:57):
Robinson was out for the rest of the playoffs.
Speaker 1 (09:01):
Jalen Brunson tore up his thumb, and now you see
the Indiana Pacers in the Eastern Conference Finals. Is that
what we're gonna see again? Cony coach Kenny Atkinson. Cony
coach Kenny Atkinson was not stoked with the rough play uh,
and he was less stoked with what he thought was
(09:24):
physicality from the Pacers. He says, I don't think they
were dirty plays, but it passed the line of physicality.
So the number one was the no call in DeAndre
Hunter's layup, which I am just in shock.
Speaker 2 (09:38):
I don't know.
Speaker 1 (09:39):
I guess I gotta know the rules better. I felt
he got absolutely obliterated and dislocated his thumb. He's gonna
be questionable. And then Evan Mowbley around the same time,
Myles Turner can tests his two point shot, comes under
him clearly underneath them shooters need space, pushed off balance
in a kind of our opinion, and tweaks his ankle
pretty bad.
Speaker 2 (09:58):
What a difference a week makes.
Speaker 1 (10:02):
Man from sitting pretty to the Eastern Conference Finals skating on.
Speaker 2 (10:07):
Pacers have no chance to a week to prepare.
Speaker 1 (10:13):
Now looking at Game two as a must win game,
the Pacers is just a hard team to prepare for.
Speaker 2 (10:20):
I told you, I told you they play eleven deep.
I told you, I told you.
Speaker 1 (10:25):
The bench gave the Pacers twenty nine points. But what
is less important than the defensive intensity that they bring
on the depth chart is that guys like Ben Shephard
do you even know about him? TJ McConnell, Ben Matherin,
they bring the energy when it's time to sit the starters,
(10:46):
and that's why he can play the starters just thirty
three minutes.
Speaker 2 (10:49):
A game on average. It was a close game. They
were up. Cleveland was one hundred and two hundred and one.
Speaker 1 (10:56):
Donald Mitchell was awesome thirty three five and four, took
thirty shots without Darius Garland. Ty Jerome is always good
off the bench twenty one, three and eight man. He
was shooting a lot though twenty shots for him only
made eight shots. But the reason that the Pacers won
is that they shot four fifty three percent from three,
(11:16):
and so everybody's like and then the Calves only shot
twenty four percent from three. And remember the Pacers aren't
supposed to be some sort of defensive mastermind from the perimeter,
so there may be some regression. You could say to yourself,
if you're a Calves fan, there's no way the Calves
shoot twenty four percent from three, and there's no way
that the Pacers shoot fifty three percent from three again.
But there might be a way that the Pacer shoe
fifty three percent from three again. There might be a
(11:39):
way the Calves miss a healthy Evan Mobley defensive player
of the year caliber guy.
Speaker 2 (11:47):
Defensive player of.
Speaker 1 (11:48):
The year, not caliber he is, that's what he is.
The Pacers had nine blocks to the Calves one block.
Speaker 2 (11:56):
So that's the reason. That's the reason.
Speaker 1 (11:59):
Despite winning the turnover about all sixteen to seven, Cleveland
could just not get over the hump.
Speaker 2 (12:03):
So I hobble calvs.
Speaker 3 (12:07):
Team.
Speaker 2 (12:08):
Pacers might not need to do much in Game two.
Speaker 1 (12:10):
They might not need to have that level of premier
shooting once again. Donovan Mitchell, who's supposed to be taking
a step back to Darius Garland, was asked to wear
the Superman cape again like he did in Utah. I'm
telling you that's not a good strategy to have. And
(12:31):
it's not because Donovan Mitchell is not awesome. He is,
but that's not a good strategy. A sixty win Utah
team got sent home a lot earlier than they expected.
So if he doesn't put on the cape and continue
his energy, because the guy from the Akronbeacon Journal said
(12:52):
that he looked gassed by the end of the third quarter.
But if he doesn't have it, look for those Lebron back.
Speaker 2 (12:58):
To Cleveland rumors to heat up this summer. All right,
let's move. Let's move to the te Move on the tee.
Speaker 1 (13:06):
The tea is the Jannis wants out of Milwaukee.
Speaker 2 (13:11):
Boom boom boom, boom boom. It's what's happening.
Speaker 1 (13:13):
Evan Townsend, Uh, for example, tweeted today Jannis is one
hundred percent gone. Milwaukee would rather trade him to the
Western Conference. He's made a short list. All I know
is Houston and San Antonio are on those lists, with
one to two other teams.
Speaker 2 (13:29):
In the East.
Speaker 1 (13:31):
Here's what I'll say about Evan Townsend. The man predicted
deeron Fox to.
Speaker 2 (13:37):
The Spurs early.
Speaker 1 (13:41):
He told us Stefan Castle would not be in that trade.
He told us Devin Vassell would not be in that trade.
And I told him, boy, you're crazy as crap, and
won't you know it, Devin Vassell not in that trade
Steph Castle not in that trade, So this alters the
(14:03):
landscape of the league. Wemby, Yannis, Steph Castle, dearin, Devin Vassell,
whoever's left on the team by that point, I mean
you probably gotta trade somebody. I might I trade Steph
Castle for Yannis.
Speaker 2 (14:25):
Continue to build like Oka.
Speaker 1 (14:26):
See it would be very painful to give up a
Rookie of the Year player for Yannis. Wemby puts that
pressure on boy. He better have a completely healed deep
vein thrombosis in his shoulder. A more likely landing spot's
probably Houston. They've got a lot of assets. Again, I
think Houston's building with patients. But you've got Jabari Smith.
Speaker 2 (14:49):
You can move him. Jalen Green, you can move him,
and you got draft picks.
Speaker 1 (14:55):
Since we're talking about Yiannis, let's bring on Jake Fisher
and ask him.
Speaker 2 (15:01):
All right, let's break on my guy, Jake Fisher.
Speaker 1 (15:07):
Jake is now out here with the steinline on Substack.
Find him at the People's Insider. He is killing it
on Bleacher Report. He is quite literally the people Insider,
considering he's probably the most accessible and normal guy that
(15:27):
covers the NBA, so normal that I don't think he
has headphones, and I think I need headphones for you
for this to come out well on riverside?
Speaker 3 (15:36):
Do you need me to put headphones on?
Speaker 2 (15:38):
I think so? Why? Yeah? All right, Yeah, we're rolling.
Speaker 1 (15:44):
Welcome to the show. I'm gonna keep the intro. He's
got his headphones.
Speaker 2 (15:48):
Now. The poverty strings are right.
Speaker 3 (15:50):
There, poverty strings. Well, look, I'll be.
Speaker 1 (15:53):
Honest, like the strings looking a little too good for Yeah,
for the mits.
Speaker 4 (16:01):
And I do have somewhere to be after this, that's
all I say.
Speaker 3 (16:05):
So I want to make.
Speaker 2 (16:09):
Do you have a date the Lady Killer? Jake Fisher?
The Lady Killer? Get back on the market. Speaking of
the market though, yes, great, all lies.
Speaker 1 (16:22):
All eyes are on what the Yonness market looks like.
I think that's probably the number one story that we're
all sort of on baited breath about. Obviously, the way
that the season ended with Milwaukee and Damian Lillard tearing
his achilles wasn't great. Getting bounced by Indiana again wasn't great.
(16:46):
Now we're giving getting more people, even just today saying
that San Antonio is bracing to make an offer and
now there's a short list. What to you is like
a real thing and what is not real.
Speaker 4 (17:00):
I mean, we're waiting to get definitive word out of Milwaukee,
out of the honest's camp, if you will, that he
like definitively is requesting out until that happens. The Bucks,
to my understanding, don't have any interest in entertaining any
(17:20):
of this stuff. We've seen them for years now dismantling
and re putting back together, recombobulating the carcass of a
championship team from twenty twenty one. You know, they first
send out Drew Holliday in exchange for Damian Lillard. Chris
Middleton never gets back to the health and the consistency
(17:41):
where he was, you know, the real primary half court
score creator guy for.
Speaker 3 (17:46):
The Bucks on those teams.
Speaker 4 (17:48):
There was a couple it's hard to keep the years
straight out in the post pandemic world, but there were
a couple of runs against Boston in between there where
Middleton was like clearly the most effective half court guy
for that Bucks team in the playoffs, right, but just
never came to form again with this latest string of
injury stuff. Really nice guy, like tough guy to part
(18:10):
with your from your organization, but they did that. They
pulled the bland aid off they flipped in for Kuzma,
and yeah, I was kind of looking at the bare
bones thing, like the only guys on the roster under
contract moving forward of significant consequence to my understanding the
last time I looked Jhannis Dame Kuzma and then Pat
(18:31):
Coninton's got like a nine and a half million dollar
player option that he's almost certainly going to pick up.
Speaker 3 (18:36):
So what are you what are you really left with?
Speaker 4 (18:38):
Like, how are you gonna to turn that you know,
house of cards into like a palace for King Janis
to rule forever? So because of the bear bones ness
of the situation, because the Kusma trade didn't work out,
that's why everyone's expecting the honest will finally say hey,
I want out. Also because he's teased it to the
(19:00):
New York Times and his brother's podcast and whoever for
a couple of years now, so it seems like more
likely than ever before, but it's still early. It's only
May fifth, happy sinco de mayo to you and.
Speaker 1 (19:11):
Happy, and I think also it's important to note that
they don't really have other ways of stockpiling players other
than trying to go out and operate on the fringes
because they've traded all their draft picks away for the
two guards that they you know, one won a championship
(19:33):
with with Drew Holliday and the Pelicans, and then traded
a bunch more to Portland for Damian Lillard. So to me,
it feels like it's more inevitable that he would want
to leave. But you think even with the bar Bones
that Milwaukee, Milwaukee doesn't really care if if they have
Giannis and they have a bear bones team that's not
(19:54):
very good, that's good enough for them.
Speaker 4 (19:57):
I think, so. I mean, they have wanted to tweak
things on the edges and turn the paper a little
bit for as long as they could, so I don't
really see that changing. I mean, it's so early, like
we could get to we're a week out from I
mean this weekend, a lot of NBA personnel are going
(20:20):
to first get to Chicago. Then like come Monday, there's
going to be everyone in town for the NBA Draft
Combine and that's when a lot of first the lottery
happens on Monday, which will set the tone for the
top of the draft order, right, which will be you know,
monumental for whoever gets the number one pick, but then
down the board all these converts. You know, everyone's sitting
(20:42):
in the stands of win Trust Arena and you're whispering
to your buddies and you're going out for drinks and
whatever and all, and like, come the end of the week,
Milwaukee might just decide, you know, we're doing this on
our own like that that could be the course. We're
still in a little bit of a preliminary what's the
early chat or what's the early conversation. Then the market,
(21:03):
to go back to your nice segue from my personal
life to my work life, is that in the market
will start to take shape next week because all the
shoppers and the sellers are going to be coming together.
So it's also I'm gonna write about this probably sometime
this week.
Speaker 3 (21:21):
We're gonna put it out.
Speaker 4 (21:22):
It's also an interesting summer where there truly, as of
right now, is only one team with cap space, which
is like pretty typically a hyperbole to say that, oh,
there's only one team that's got space. What's literally only
one team right now has actual cap space, not just
max cap space, cap space, and that's Brooklyn. So because
of that, I think we're gonna see a lot of
(21:43):
teams active on the phones to make trades anyway, which
could also further embolden Milwaukee to be like, Okay, Kevin
urants on the block in Phoenix, and there's gonna be
someone else who emerges and becomes available somewhere else. We're
hearing what these types of packages could potentially be netting.
Speaker 3 (21:58):
For those guys.
Speaker 4 (21:58):
Well, what about Giannest that's kind of I think the
flow of how this all will unfold.
Speaker 1 (22:05):
And obviously Damian Lillard getting injured is one of a
million reasons that it didn't work out. From from your reporting,
did Damon Janie ever find their personal chemistry flow, because
I think when the trade was made, it.
Speaker 2 (22:21):
Was like, oh, this is gonna be a pick and
roll machine, and.
Speaker 1 (22:24):
It's like Yannis doesn't really want to set forty screens
a game that's not really Yanness the style. He kind
of wants to operate like Damian Lillard's ball in his hands,
getting downhill, dribbled, dribble cross step back three. That's like
Giannie's sort of that's what he would love to be
in an ideal world. And from what I yeah, who
(22:45):
doesn't want to be that? That's what we all want
to be And from what I have heard from other
people is just like Dame and Jannie didn't really love
the working relationship.
Speaker 4 (22:55):
I just think they never I mean clearly the person,
the results, and they had so many the up and
down injury things over the last two years. I just
don't think they ever really found it. And I don't
think there was Like I don't think there's enough to
write a story about Johannis and Dame. You know, the
chemistry wasn't there. I just think it wasn't there, Like,
(23:15):
they didn't really ever find it. And it's tough with
particularly when you have like you know, go back to
Harden and Bead in Philadelphia, when you just have two
guys together, there's just there is this pressure of like
you need to work off of each other. Like even
in Cleveland with Lebron and Kyrie, like there was so
(23:39):
much attention about like what can they do with pick
and roll between those guys and you can invert the pick,
Like there's so much almost like fetishization of can these
two all stars work together literally not just on the
same team, but in the same like system and play
design and ideally, yeah, like Dame is one of the
best creators at the top of the key with high
(24:00):
scream in the game, potentially ever top seventy five player
if Steph never was born. Damian Lillard's career arc and
legend is completely you know, outside compared to what it
is now, and he's still considered one of the top
seventy five players in NBA history. So the like stencil
(24:20):
was there, did they ever fill it in and make
it formidable?
Speaker 3 (24:24):
No?
Speaker 4 (24:24):
Some of it was injury stuff. I think some of
it was also, like Dame came from being the guy
in Portland. The whole building, you know this, the whole
building was wrapped around his finger, and Milwaukee has been
that situation for Rannis. So when you take two, you know,
one a's and one of them has to become the
(24:45):
one B. It's not necessarily the easiest thing versus in
Golden State, like.
Speaker 3 (24:51):
It was the Step Show, it is the Step Show.
Speaker 4 (24:53):
And Jimmy knew that and came in and followed orders,
followed suit so and and you know, when the Dubs
came to town and I talked to Mike Dunleaving people
from the coaching staff and Jimmy himself. That was kind
of a big theme that like Jimmy came here and
he fell. He fell in line, for lack of a better term,
behind Steph. So that's not again, none of this is
(25:16):
to say there was some clashing of the heads or
whatever between Johnis and Dame, but they clearly never found
the same synergy that like a Jimmy and Stuph did
pretty quickly in Golden State.
Speaker 1 (25:28):
Yeah right away twenty what they were twenty three and
seven in their last thirty games. So what did you
what did you think of how that Houston Golden State
series how it all ended up? Like was were you
more impressed by Houston and how resilient and formidable they
(25:48):
were as young as they are, or you know, was
it more in your mind a lens around like wow,
we're still getting this on a night tonight basis from
Steph Curry. Wow, even when it's a low scoring game
for him and still wow, his fourth quarters are just
fucking incredible.
Speaker 4 (26:06):
Yeah, there wasn't anything to me in the series that
was such a revelation because I've been high on Houston
all year, dating back to last year. I was so
in on outbiatic sat down with him for a story
and Golden State is Golden State to.
Speaker 3 (26:22):
Me, like they just are stuff.
Speaker 4 (26:24):
And I I remember thinking early in the Jimmy trade
stuff when you know Phoenix, A lot of my job,
I think is like thinking ahead of the actual actors
involved and looking at the math and looking at what
the egos and just opinions on either side are going
to be. And like, Phoenix just wasn't going to happen
to me unless there was something where Kevin Durant was
(26:45):
heading out the door. So I started thinking, like, Golden
States is the best option for Jimmy Butler to both
get traded and get paid. And I thought it would
work out well because he is so good off the
ball as a score rolling short role, all that kind
of stuff. So I wasn't so surprised. I have not
(27:08):
been so surprised at how well that situation has gone
to me. The thing that stood out the most, honestly
that that whole series is Jalen Green is so far
from where you would hope he'd be at this point
in his career, and it was evidenced by the type
of contract that he got last fall in his rookie
(27:29):
scale extension. We hardly ever, if have ever seen a
two plus one with a player option on year three,
which just goes to show that Houston valued him as
like a plus starter, you know, money for the next
three years. But then he'll only be twenty five by then,
and like that's a pretty critical stage of your career,
(27:51):
like before entering your prime what have you. But think
of all these guys around the league who were like
far more established before that point. I mean, and it's
probably the you know, upper echelant of that conversation, but
Luca was doing stuff like you know, Luca took the
Mavericks to the conference finals two years before he took
them to the finals even in Orlando, like Paula Bunkero
(28:12):
and Franz Wagner were not the most Like they weren't
They're neither of them have been like paragons of postseason success,
but they've gotten to their spots and like composed their will.
For Jalen Green to have that big thirty eight point
explosion in Game two after laying a total gooseg in
Game one, like admitting I was nervous the lights were
(28:33):
too bright, and then like not bouncing back again. It's
just tough and it's going to be a real thing
that Houston has to study and consider what do we
want from this guy. Do we want to invest in
his development and his growth and continue to run a
system that's going to help him develop into more of
(28:54):
a shock creater playmaker type or is he the salary
potential that we want to send out the door for
someone who already is that right now? So that, to
me was the most interesting storyline, plotline whatever to follow
in that series, because like, Amen Thompson's younger and you
kind of know what his thing is. It's just like,
(29:15):
can the guy be willing to shoot and able to shoot?
Alpern chan Gun is already an all star and his
weaknesses are athleticism and can he create scoring opportunities on
his own outside of getting you know, post touches and
what have you? And can an offense really run that successfully?
(29:35):
Can he really be a Nikole Jokic two point zero
hub kind of guy? But Jalen I think is a
real swing piece and all of that because he is tantalizing.
Potential is what it is, and when he's not putting
it together, it's kind of like a good friend of
yours who you want the best for, and you're just like.
Speaker 3 (29:54):
Come on, man, do the thing. That you know you
gotta do and he has. Yeah, I'm it's kind of tough.
Speaker 1 (30:04):
Because you can see the potential in what Jalen Green
can be. I was talking to somebody last episode, Chel
tallon Hoops, who thinks Jalen Green has the potential to
be an all NBA player. You've got Fred van Fleet
who said that Jalen Green has the most potential of
any two guard in the league, and he feels like
(30:24):
his upside is Aunt Edwards. So I guess from a
transaction standpoint, which is, you know what we come to
you for, and you look at Houston and I know
that you know, we're just day one of post mortem
here losing to a very good Golden State Warriors team.
Do you think they just run it back and hope
that Jalen Green develops into that now that he has
(30:46):
the experience.
Speaker 2 (30:47):
Do they do they pick up Fred van.
Speaker 1 (30:49):
Fleet's forty five million dollar option, who was awesome and
got better and better in this series.
Speaker 2 (30:56):
Like what do you predict they do?
Speaker 4 (30:59):
I do think and we wrote about this today on
the Steinline at mark Stein dot com. Come subscribe if
you're not already there. I do think they're gonna largely
run this back. The Rockets have been preaching patients all
season long, telling us, telling other teams that they are
not going to do anything rash. They're not going to
(31:19):
expedite their timeline. All these young guys were talking about
are twenty one to twenty three years old. They're still
three to four years away from their prime. They don't
want to do anything like trading for a thirty six
year old Kevin Durant and giving him a massive extension
that you know, really clogs up their books, that's going
to shorten their championship window. Like, they want to do
(31:40):
things that are gonna steadily open that championship window and
then leave it open for a long long time.
Speaker 3 (31:47):
They want to be as.
Speaker 4 (31:48):
Close to Oklahoma City as what Oklahoma City is currently
projecting as so I don't think as of now they're
gonna be paying an arm in the leg in their
house and everything going to go get yannis. Then again,
like they their series just ended, and who's to say
what they able decide, But for now, I think this
(32:09):
group will largely look the same. I do think that.
I mean, there's been a lot of buzz I would
say about Fred and Houston figuring out the option and
signing a new deal. Since the deadline, it seems like
a very mutual situation that both sides are kind of
locked in on him continuing to be this veteran mentor
guy there. So I'm not expecting a big change there.
(32:31):
The one question I really have right now that I
think is just easy to look at is Steven Adams
was terrific in that series, and there really isn't a
big free agent market right now. Miles Turner might be
in general the best for and if he goes back
to Indiana, is Steven Adams the best center on the market,
(32:54):
And like every single team that has the full mid level,
which is going to be around fourteen million, which is
a little bit north of what he made this year, Like,
are they going to be Is he going to be
lit the bell of the ball and have a starting
opportunity somewhere else we want to stay? I don't know,
but Steven Adams was so damn good in this series
and also really good with Alpi. So like, now are
(33:16):
the Rockets going to be looking? Are we doing a
two big man lineup kind of thing? Okay, see, I
think they were. They were plus twenty point six with
those two guys together, So yeah, it'll be interesting.
Speaker 2 (33:27):
Yeah, it really was.
Speaker 1 (33:28):
Steven Adams was awesome, so clutch with those free throws.
I know he only hit fifty six percent of them,
but he hit them when he needed to. Let's talk
about Detroit for a second, because when I saw them
in the offseason pick up Malik Beasley and Tobias Harris
(33:48):
and Tim Hardaway Junior, I was like, well, that's nice.
You know, that's like a fun some veteran leadership and
like some shooting, which they need desperately because they can't
draft guys that can shoot particularly well. But I didn't
expect it to turn into a seven or a six
(34:09):
game series with New York and like probably a series
where Detroit could have easily come away and won that series.
What do you think they have planned this offseason? Are
they thinking about patients the same way that Houston is
or is this another tweak situation in the offseason.
Speaker 4 (34:30):
More so, Detroit is one team that could, depending on
options and guarantees and stuff, they could, I believe, get
around twenty two million dollars in cap space. So it
would be interesting if they decide to be like, all right,
we're gonna be one team out here after a big run,
like you're saying that. You know, we just talked about
(34:51):
Steven Adams commanding the mid level from places like they're
gonna be only two teams that can offer above that number.
So if you just put twenty million on the table,
you're probably gonna get your guy. It's an interesting opportunity
for them. However, I do think that they're gonna largely
split that money up and reward those veterans that you
mentioned that the biases, the Malik Beasley's, Tim Hardaway Junior,
(35:14):
Dennis Schroeder. Dennis Schroeder was going to be dealt to Utah,
waved bought out whatever, and like on a VET minimum
deal and maybe kind of chasing minimum salary for the
rest of his career. But Detroit worked with his representation
to get him to the Pistons and it worked out
so well. I definitely would think there'll be some opportunity
(35:35):
to bring him back. So I don't think the Pistons
are gonna rush this thing. I mean, the biggest thing
with Detroit is Jalen Duran is going to be extension eligible.
He is not someone that Trajan Langdon's front office drafted
and he's not Kate Cunningham, so that just naturally leaves
the door open for questions to be asked. And you know,
(35:59):
there's a chance that he's not exactly the type of
center that that group wants, but it worked so well
this year.
Speaker 3 (36:08):
I spent a little bit of time around Detroit.
Speaker 4 (36:11):
I was at Games one through three of that series,
and then I never got back to that series just
with life and other travel happening. But Darren clearly is
a glue guy, Like he's not the veteran leader, you know, professionalism.
I wear my hard hat, follow my lead like Tobias Harris's,
(36:31):
but from like a goofy personality connectivity standpoint, while also
being a force when he's locked in and healthy and active.
I don't know if they be able to lose him
and what that would do to that, you know, upper
trajectory of this group right now. But yeah, they are
very formidable and like they did exactly kind of to
(36:56):
New York, almost identically to what Houston did to Golden State.
And I don't think that was a fluke. I don't
think we're gonna I mean, things could happen to injuries,
what have you. But I'm not expecting the Pistons to
like fall back down to the ten seed and they're
you know, stuck in the playing tournament next year. I
think this is a team that's kind of like Indiana
before them, cemented themselves as a new perennial playoff threat
(37:18):
in this conference, just with how good kid is and
what the other pieces behind him have have turned into.
Speaker 1 (37:24):
Yeah, and we didn't even see Isaiah Stewart really at
full force either.
Speaker 2 (37:28):
He was sidelined for jad and Ivy as much.
Speaker 1 (37:31):
Yeah, no Jade and Ivy either, So two really important players.
When they get fully healthy, we'll be able to see them. Also,
what what do you make of this Lakers roster? Because
Lebron does the thing that Lebron does every year, which
is put pressure on GM's in the front office to
(37:52):
get him more help. Says I'm not taking a pay cut,
says I'm not sure if I'm retiring. And I think
that mcl injury was real.
Speaker 2 (38:00):
But every year, right.
Speaker 1 (38:01):
At the end of the season, we get a new
Lebron James injury. It's a tale as old as time.
Now he has Luca and he's also now saying I'm
not going to even pitch Luca to stay. Lucas should
just make his decisions without me. They obviously lack of center.
Maybe that's a Steven Adams. What do you think they
need to do to get to the place where they
(38:25):
can achieve what the goal is? The lebron has pretty
much the end of his career, which is like actual
title contention, and.
Speaker 4 (38:33):
They definitely need a starting level center on this team.
I clearly know a lot of what I do is
taking the data points that teams show us the previous
transaction cycle, and the Lakers literally played a card and
then picked it back up. They went out and got
a bouncy, young, traditional rim running lob threat.
Speaker 3 (38:53):
So that's what Luca likes to play with.
Speaker 4 (38:57):
So if they are really focusing on that, which I
think they're going to, he's going to be eligible for
a contract extension, and you're gonna want to show loyalty
and commitment to this guy. That's what they're gonna do,
And they've already, you know, from my understanding, very quickly
after acquiring him, went and met with his people and
(39:19):
talked about the types of big men and teammates he'd
want to play with. And that was kind of a
precursor to going out and trading for Mark Williams, which
didn't work out, and he was posting funny memes on
Instagram about them losing. But that type of guy, I
think is probably where they're going to try to But
those guys don't grow on trees. Like how many twenty
(39:40):
three year old kind of franchise centers are actually going
to be available for trade, Like the Walker Kesslers that
you know, the Lakers have been linked to forever. Utah hasn't
really wanted to actually move him even though they have listened,
so right now, I don't know who that guy is
going to be. They might just be best ser served
by plugging and playing some veteran types, like they were
(40:03):
in on Yonis Valanciunas last year's free agency before we
signed with Washington, and they talked about trading for him
during the season as well. Like do they just kind
of plug the gaps with some veterans in the meantime
if they don't have that you know, long term partner
that they see for Luca available, maybe, But I think
just generally they need frontcourt depth and they need shooting
(40:25):
in two way two way shooting like that's what Luca
needs around him, and this roster didn't have that in spades,
especially when Reeves and Lebron are not playing at peak capacity.
If so many of your possessions are relying on Ruey
Hatchimore and Dori and Phinney Smith. They're both good shooters,
but to knock down Trump shots, how great is the
(40:48):
brilliance of those three playmakers anyway? So they'll need I
think more guys like that to also keep those guys
fresh throughout an a two game season, and like how
two of them on the floor not necessarily three of
them on the floor and that kind of stuff. So yeah, wing,
wing work and big men I think will definitely be
(41:09):
top of the shopping list for Rappa Linka's crew.
Speaker 1 (41:14):
Right before we let you go, because I know you've
got a hot date, let's play a quick let's play
a quick little scenario hypothetical because I have so much
I wanted to get to you, but I think this
is a great way to cap it off. So we've
got the draft lottery coming up, and everybody's looking to
get Cooper flag right who in your estimation if they
(41:36):
get the number one overall pick, will make the biggest
ripple in the NBA.
Speaker 3 (41:44):
I mean, it's a great question. I think.
Speaker 4 (41:47):
Right now, I'm just gonna I'm gonna give a shout
out to a small market that people don't really talk about.
If the Utah Jazz get Cooper Flag. They've been in
NBA side Beria for a couple of years now, right,
they trade Donovan, they trade Rudy, not in that order,
and they out they candidly they haven't really hit on
(42:09):
a draft pick since then. Right, But last year when
they were about to extend Larry markten, they were poking around.
They were calling Brooklyn about potentially trading for McHale Bridges,
and they were calling Atlanta about potentially trading for de
Jonte Murray. And if they got those two guys, there
(42:30):
was a scenario I've written about this that the Jazz
We're just gonna go all in in one fell swoop,
extend Larry, trade for those two dudes, and then go
to Paul Jeordan and say, you really want to go
to Philadelphia where you're forming a big three.
Speaker 3 (42:43):
We got a big four here.
Speaker 4 (42:44):
With you man, and the Jazz still have all the
draft picks and tradeable salary with you know, options and
non guarantees and whatever to like get their way into
any deal that they want. Right, they have all these
future picks from Cleveland, all this stuff from this and
they've picked up a couple other handful of second round
picks and what have you, being third team trade facilitators
(43:07):
like they were in the Luca Dantic trade, like they
were in helping Jimmy get to Golden State. So they've
got a lot of ammo to do something. I don't
think the Jazz are like raring to expedite this thing immediately.
But if you get Cooper and all of a sudden,
now you have in theory two all stars in him
and Larry Markinen. Just because again, when you've shown a
(43:30):
card before, you still have it in your hand. Like
the fact that they were poking around and willing to
start talking about quickly upgrading and trading for guys. I'm
not saying they're going to, but if they do, and
then particularly if the season starts well, like if you
if Cooper is having some type of Victor type you know,
early showing the Wow, this guy really is impacting things here,
(43:55):
and we're gonna need to potentially go pursue Chris Paul
and Traper Dan Fox next season, Like I wonder how
quickly that could come, Like does it come this summer,
does it come during the year. That's a very interesting
one to me, just because they have so much optionality,
Like if New Orleans and Philly gets it, then you
start to think about potential like oh, Zion and Joel,
like are they gonna be turning the page from those guys,
(44:18):
which would be fascinating in its own rate. But I
think for Utah it's the fact that they're they don't
have a Zion or Joel, so you suddenly introduce Cooper
Flag into that scenario. And also, like you zoom out too,
there's really no team in the West besides Utah who's
really even positioned to be tanking next year at all.
(44:39):
So what is that like If they're not anymore, then
like the West is even.
Speaker 3 (44:45):
More crazy than it's already been.
Speaker 4 (44:47):
You could say that's an argument to just be more
patient and you get Cooper and at another guy, you know,
get aj debonds to the next year type of stuff.
Speaker 3 (44:54):
But I don't know.
Speaker 4 (44:55):
The Jazz just have so much optionality that they never
get talked about. With the Rockets and the thunder in
the nets. Really in this group of teams that could
go get any player if they want to. So I
just wanted to put that on people's radar.
Speaker 2 (45:08):
That's a good one.
Speaker 1 (45:09):
That's a really, really good one when I have not
thought about at all. That's why you're the people's insider,
my man, Jake Fisher.
Speaker 2 (45:18):
What are you doing for dinner? You going to the
little sushi?
Speaker 3 (45:21):
We don't we don't do dinner. We don't do dinner.
Speaker 2 (45:24):
We don't do dinner.
Speaker 1 (45:25):
It's just is it just a walk in the park,
little little coffee?
Speaker 3 (45:29):
What is it?
Speaker 4 (45:30):
What's the I don't even know if it's I'm gonna
keep that information, uh close to the desk.
Speaker 1 (45:37):
Yeah, okay, But what is your what's your go to
first date? If it's not dinner, If it's not this
and it's not dinner, what do you want to do?
Speaker 2 (45:44):
What you normally my.
Speaker 4 (45:45):
Go to first date is like a bar with an
activity like you go to at night. No, like something
that's hot. Like there's a bar in the in the
West Village that I used to go to a lot
back in the day. Now it's called skinny No, now
it's called cellar. It used to be called the fat
Cat and it had like table shuffle board and ping
pong and pool that kind of stuff.
Speaker 3 (46:06):
An activity to facilitate conversation.
Speaker 1 (46:09):
Doing things in flirting. That's Jake Fisher breaking news, doing
his thing. I'll let you run. Thank you so much
for coming on. Well, we'll keep an eye on all
of these transactions. Definitely follow the steinline and Jake their
substacks awesome and follow him on bleacher Report and on
(46:29):
Twitter x and threads as well.
Speaker 3 (46:32):
Appreciate it.
Speaker 2 (46:33):
That's all the time that we have for this episode
that he checked.
Speaker 1 (46:36):
Huge thanks to my guy Jake Fisher for all of
his analysis. Hope that first date well well, or second
date or third date he said we don't do dinners.
That sounded like a smash situation. Back just straight to
the crib to go sushi. Come back Friday for an
a new episode, and check out the feed for past episodes.
Speaker 2 (46:53):
In the occasional mini episodes which will come.
Speaker 1 (46:55):
Unexpectedly like a Buddy Heeled Game seven nuclear explosion, and
do not forget to follow the heat check all season long.
Speaker 2 (47:01):
That means download and subscribe and tell your friends, even
tell your new puppies like mine.
Speaker 1 (47:07):
I'm still vacillating around the name, uh even once you
even talked.
Speaker 2 (47:10):
To in years. Follow us on TikTok a at this heap,
checking at Trista Creek on Twitter.
Speaker 1 (47:13):
Instagram, and threads. That's where I posted it with thanks again.
Why thanks again, y'all.
Speaker 2 (47:20):
We'll see you next time.
On this episode of the Heat Check, the first round
of the playoffs are officially done, and I'm here to
autopsy over the bodies and see what's next for the
team still playing. We will look at the Game seven
of Rockets Warriors, as well as breakdown the first game
of Calves and Pacers.
Speaker 2 (00:19):
We then get into an interview with.
Speaker 1 (00:20):
My guy, the People's Insider, Jake Fisher, who's gonna break
down all the transaction tee for us. So much to
talk about, Wyatt, do me a favor. Drop that motherfucking
beat that should be Rihanna.
Speaker 3 (00:31):
You're listening to the Hottest, the Hottest. It be a
podcast out here. I said what I said. It's the
heat Check Chack Check, which just up.
Speaker 1 (00:46):
Man Warriors Rockets Game seven just a tale of two cities,
a tale of two guards, both who rewrote the reputation
in one sort of ugly anti climactic game.
Speaker 2 (01:06):
It was disappointing. I'm just gonna be honest.
Speaker 1 (01:08):
I turned it off at parts and came back to
it at parts because the Warriors it wasn't as big
of a win as it looks at one oh three
eighty nine because they cut it to three. But you
were like, let's be honest this thing, Houston's not really
gonna win this game. Halfway through the fourth quarter, Houston
(01:28):
made a run and they could have cut it to five,
but Alprin Shangun got blocked and then immediately Buddy Heald
hit a deep three. Buddy fucking Healed where like Jimmy
Butler was like anybody but Buddy he was the butt
of all their jokes all postseason long, and Buddy Healed
had tied the most three pointers in any playoff game
(01:49):
in history.
Speaker 2 (01:50):
Just incredible stuff.
Speaker 1 (01:53):
Buddy Healed winning the game with this defense on a
night where he shot nine for eleven from three was
no on No One's Bengo card.
Speaker 2 (02:02):
Steve Kerr was like, yeah, Buddy Held.
Speaker 1 (02:04):
Set the tone for us defensively, and boy, oh boy,
now you see how important Klay Thompson was to this team.
Because Klay Thompson wasn't getting nine for eleven threes in
twenty twenty four. He was doing that in twenty sixteen,
and that is what they needed, and they got it.
Speaker 2 (02:24):
When they needed it the most.
Speaker 1 (02:27):
If he didn't go nuclear in the first half, I
don't even know how the game would have ended up.
Speaker 2 (02:32):
Man, after the game.
Speaker 1 (02:33):
He was asked about the Game seven Heroics, and all
he said was it was a childhood dream.
Speaker 2 (02:37):
We talk about Game sevens.
Speaker 1 (02:39):
We all want to play in Game sevens, but when
you're actually playing in a Game seven, it's one of
the hardest things ever. I think Buddy hil rewrote his
legacy in that game. That's one of the most That's
probably Buddy Hill's most important game he's ever played in
his career. And I watched him play for Oklahoma and
ether my Oregon Ducks. That was probably the second most
(02:59):
important game ever played in. And then in the other hand,
the player who Man, I want to root for him,
I really do.
Speaker 2 (03:09):
I'm rooting for him. I told you though, I fucking
told you guys.
Speaker 1 (03:13):
And then after I put out the clip, he goes
for thirty eight, and I'm like, I want to apologize
to Jalen, but I don't really want to apologize the
Jalen because I still don't quite believe in Jalen Green.
Speaker 2 (03:27):
He had one good game in seven games.
Speaker 1 (03:31):
He had more nail polished changing games than he had
game changing games. I just don't know about him yet,
and I don't think Houston knows about him. Yet fred
Van Fleet said that he has more potential than any
other guard in the NBA other than Aunt Edwards. And
(03:54):
I think considering that Fredman Fleet was probably the best
Houston Rockets player on the floor at any given time.
No shade Alprin Shangoun like, that's one hell of a
piece of praise. But in the last five games, Jalen
Green averaged nine point six points per game, shooting thirty
five percent from the floor, twenty three percent from three,
(04:16):
and sixty five percent from the free throw line. That's horrific.
That's horrific. That's unconscionable, that is un unsalvageable, indefensible. He
had eight points and five turnovers in a one possession
loss in Game three. If Jalen Green had twenty points
(04:38):
in that game, Golden State's in Cabo right now. If
you throw out his thirty eight point explosion, he averaged
nine points in six games. I'm rooting for him. I
am I'm rooting for him. I hope he develops into something.
Chill Town Hoops was on last week and he thinks
(05:00):
he could be an all NBA player.
Speaker 2 (05:01):
I really hope that that's right.
Speaker 1 (05:04):
The question is, is he an All NBA player for
the Houston Rockets. That's the question that I think everybody
wants to know. Now there's speculation that the Rockets want
to bring in a score. Their most valuable trade chip
is Jalen Green, who is locked up on a favorable
rookie extension at just one hundred million dollars. I believe
that Houston makes no moves in the offseason. I think
(05:31):
they continue to run it back. I think they wonder
whether Jalen Green's experience in this series will lead him
to some consistency in the next series. But I tell
you what, he won't have many more opportunities if next series,
next playoffs, they end up in this exact same place.
(05:52):
Houston continues to preach patients. They want to build like
Okay see, they want to build like Detroit's building. They
want to be the young team that's sustainable, not just
bubblegum buckets, not just getting a thirty seven year old
and trying to add him to the fray. So, Jalen,
this is a very important offseason for you because I
(06:12):
don't want to be right, but I feel like that
seven game series is enough to be keeping Rafael Stone
and Eme Udoka up all fucking night.
Speaker 2 (06:22):
All right, moving on? What did we just see? What
did I just watch? I was told?
Speaker 1 (06:29):
I was told that the Cleveland Cavaliers are too much
for the Indiana Pacers.
Speaker 2 (06:36):
I was told that.
Speaker 1 (06:37):
I said, but what about how deep the Pacers are?
I mean, you know about Halliburton, we know.
Speaker 2 (06:43):
About him, But do you know about Andrew and Imhart?
Do you know about him?
Speaker 1 (06:48):
We know about Miles Turner, but do you know about
the games where Obi Toppin explodes on your face?
Speaker 2 (06:54):
Pause? Like do you know about him?
Speaker 1 (06:57):
Like we know about Pascal si Yakham, But do you
know about Benedict Mathrin, and Andrew Neismith, Aaron Nesmith. I
don't even know about Andrew Neiesmith, Aaron Nacenismith. They are
fucking deep and they come in waves. Do you know
about all of these?
Speaker 2 (07:16):
Pause? Do you know about these players? Because they put
up buckets. They went to the Eastern Conference Finals just
last year.
Speaker 1 (07:25):
But I am told that they're supposed to be dominated
by Cleveland.
Speaker 2 (07:31):
Six players in double digits.
Speaker 1 (07:33):
In Game one, Andrew nemhard Tyres Halliburton stole home court
from the number one overall seed. Hallie went twenty two,
three and thirteen. He had four stocks, good for fucking him,
had thirteen assists for thirty four points, eight threes. Nemby
shot seventy percent.
Speaker 2 (07:52):
From the field.
Speaker 1 (07:53):
Nemby aka the Nemhard of Wemby's and had five threes.
Indiana was just too fast, and without Garland, this is
a team that's a little more clunky than we want
him to be.
Speaker 2 (08:09):
He has a little toe injury, big toe injury.
Speaker 1 (08:12):
It's a little big toe injury, and he's supposedly not
going to play in Game two as well. And that's
the same toe injury that turned Austin Reeves into the
guy that you see at YMCA.
Speaker 2 (08:27):
That's where we're at on that, like that is what
it is.
Speaker 1 (08:30):
Add that to the fact that DeAndre Hunter dislocated his thumb.
People were saying he looked hungover in that first game.
Evan Mobley reaggravated an existing ankle injury, and all of
a sudden, outside of Donovan Mitchell, we could be staring
at some trouble. This is what happened last year when
(08:50):
Indiana played the Knicks, and you add issues with og
and Andobi Mitchell.
Speaker 2 (08:57):
Robinson was out for the rest of the playoffs.
Speaker 1 (09:01):
Jalen Brunson tore up his thumb, and now you see
the Indiana Pacers in the Eastern Conference Finals. Is that
what we're gonna see again? Cony coach Kenny Atkinson. Cony
coach Kenny Atkinson was not stoked with the rough play uh,
and he was less stoked with what he thought was
(09:24):
physicality from the Pacers. He says, I don't think they
were dirty plays, but it passed the line of physicality.
So the number one was the no call in DeAndre
Hunter's layup, which I am just in shock.
Speaker 2 (09:38):
I don't know.
Speaker 1 (09:39):
I guess I gotta know the rules better. I felt
he got absolutely obliterated and dislocated his thumb. He's gonna
be questionable. And then Evan Mowbley around the same time,
Myles Turner can tests his two point shot, comes under
him clearly underneath them shooters need space, pushed off balance
in a kind of our opinion, and tweaks his ankle
pretty bad.
Speaker 2 (09:58):
What a difference a week makes.
Speaker 1 (10:02):
Man from sitting pretty to the Eastern Conference Finals skating on.
Speaker 2 (10:07):
Pacers have no chance to a week to prepare.
Speaker 1 (10:13):
Now looking at Game two as a must win game,
the Pacers is just a hard team to prepare for.
Speaker 2 (10:20):
I told you, I told you they play eleven deep.
I told you, I told you.
Speaker 1 (10:25):
The bench gave the Pacers twenty nine points. But what
is less important than the defensive intensity that they bring
on the depth chart is that guys like Ben Shephard
do you even know about him? TJ McConnell, Ben Matherin,
they bring the energy when it's time to sit the starters,
(10:46):
and that's why he can play the starters just thirty
three minutes.
Speaker 2 (10:49):
A game on average. It was a close game. They
were up. Cleveland was one hundred and two hundred and one.
Speaker 1 (10:56):
Donald Mitchell was awesome thirty three five and four, took
thirty shots without Darius Garland. Ty Jerome is always good
off the bench twenty one, three and eight man. He
was shooting a lot though twenty shots for him only
made eight shots. But the reason that the Pacers won
is that they shot four fifty three percent from three,
(11:16):
and so everybody's like and then the Calves only shot
twenty four percent from three. And remember the Pacers aren't
supposed to be some sort of defensive mastermind from the perimeter,
so there may be some regression. You could say to yourself,
if you're a Calves fan, there's no way the Calves
shoot twenty four percent from three, and there's no way
that the Pacers shoot fifty three percent from three again.
But there might be a way that the Pacer shoe
fifty three percent from three again. There might be a
(11:39):
way the Calves miss a healthy Evan Mobley defensive player
of the year caliber guy.
Speaker 2 (11:47):
Defensive player of.
Speaker 1 (11:48):
The year, not caliber he is, that's what he is.
The Pacers had nine blocks to the Calves one block.
Speaker 2 (11:56):
So that's the reason. That's the reason.
Speaker 1 (11:59):
Despite winning the turnover about all sixteen to seven, Cleveland
could just not get over the hump.
Speaker 2 (12:03):
So I hobble calvs.
Speaker 3 (12:07):
Team.
Speaker 2 (12:08):
Pacers might not need to do much in Game two.
Speaker 1 (12:10):
They might not need to have that level of premier
shooting once again. Donovan Mitchell, who's supposed to be taking
a step back to Darius Garland, was asked to wear
the Superman cape again like he did in Utah. I'm
telling you that's not a good strategy to have. And
(12:31):
it's not because Donovan Mitchell is not awesome. He is,
but that's not a good strategy. A sixty win Utah
team got sent home a lot earlier than they expected.
So if he doesn't put on the cape and continue
his energy, because the guy from the Akronbeacon Journal said
(12:52):
that he looked gassed by the end of the third quarter.
But if he doesn't have it, look for those Lebron back.
Speaker 2 (12:58):
To Cleveland rumors to heat up this summer. All right,
let's move. Let's move to the te Move on the tee.
Speaker 1 (13:06):
The tea is the Jannis wants out of Milwaukee.
Speaker 2 (13:11):
Boom boom boom, boom boom. It's what's happening.
Speaker 1 (13:13):
Evan Townsend, Uh, for example, tweeted today Jannis is one
hundred percent gone. Milwaukee would rather trade him to the
Western Conference. He's made a short list. All I know
is Houston and San Antonio are on those lists, with
one to two other teams.
Speaker 2 (13:29):
In the East.
Speaker 1 (13:31):
Here's what I'll say about Evan Townsend. The man predicted
deeron Fox to.
Speaker 2 (13:37):
The Spurs early.
Speaker 1 (13:41):
He told us Stefan Castle would not be in that trade.
He told us Devin Vassell would not be in that trade.
And I told him, boy, you're crazy as crap, and
won't you know it, Devin Vassell not in that trade
Steph Castle not in that trade, So this alters the
(14:03):
landscape of the league. Wemby, Yannis, Steph Castle, dearin, Devin Vassell,
whoever's left on the team by that point, I mean
you probably gotta trade somebody. I might I trade Steph
Castle for Yannis.
Speaker 2 (14:25):
Continue to build like Oka.
Speaker 1 (14:26):
See it would be very painful to give up a
Rookie of the Year player for Yannis. Wemby puts that
pressure on boy. He better have a completely healed deep
vein thrombosis in his shoulder. A more likely landing spot's
probably Houston. They've got a lot of assets. Again, I
think Houston's building with patients. But you've got Jabari Smith.
Speaker 2 (14:49):
You can move him. Jalen Green, you can move him,
and you got draft picks.
Speaker 1 (14:55):
Since we're talking about Yiannis, let's bring on Jake Fisher
and ask him.
Speaker 2 (15:01):
All right, let's break on my guy, Jake Fisher.
Speaker 1 (15:07):
Jake is now out here with the steinline on Substack.
Find him at the People's Insider. He is killing it
on Bleacher Report. He is quite literally the people Insider,
considering he's probably the most accessible and normal guy that
(15:27):
covers the NBA, so normal that I don't think he
has headphones, and I think I need headphones for you
for this to come out well on riverside?
Speaker 3 (15:36):
Do you need me to put headphones on?
Speaker 2 (15:38):
I think so? Why? Yeah? All right, Yeah, we're rolling.
Speaker 1 (15:44):
Welcome to the show. I'm gonna keep the intro. He's
got his headphones.
Speaker 2 (15:48):
Now. The poverty strings are right.
Speaker 3 (15:50):
There, poverty strings. Well, look, I'll be.
Speaker 1 (15:53):
Honest, like the strings looking a little too good for Yeah,
for the mits.
Speaker 4 (16:01):
And I do have somewhere to be after this, that's
all I say.
Speaker 3 (16:05):
So I want to make.
Speaker 2 (16:09):
Do you have a date the Lady Killer? Jake Fisher?
The Lady Killer? Get back on the market. Speaking of
the market though, yes, great, all lies.
Speaker 1 (16:22):
All eyes are on what the Yonness market looks like.
I think that's probably the number one story that we're
all sort of on baited breath about. Obviously, the way
that the season ended with Milwaukee and Damian Lillard tearing
his achilles wasn't great. Getting bounced by Indiana again wasn't great.
(16:46):
Now we're giving getting more people, even just today saying
that San Antonio is bracing to make an offer and
now there's a short list. What to you is like
a real thing and what is not real.
Speaker 4 (17:00):
I mean, we're waiting to get definitive word out of Milwaukee,
out of the honest's camp, if you will, that he
like definitively is requesting out until that happens. The Bucks,
to my understanding, don't have any interest in entertaining any
(17:20):
of this stuff. We've seen them for years now dismantling
and re putting back together, recombobulating the carcass of a
championship team from twenty twenty one. You know, they first
send out Drew Holliday in exchange for Damian Lillard. Chris
Middleton never gets back to the health and the consistency
(17:41):
where he was, you know, the real primary half court
score creator guy for.
Speaker 3 (17:46):
The Bucks on those teams.
Speaker 4 (17:48):
There was a couple it's hard to keep the years
straight out in the post pandemic world, but there were
a couple of runs against Boston in between there where
Middleton was like clearly the most effective half court guy
for that Bucks team in the playoffs, right, but just
never came to form again with this latest string of
injury stuff. Really nice guy, like tough guy to part
(18:10):
with your from your organization, but they did that. They
pulled the bland aid off they flipped in for Kuzma,
and yeah, I was kind of looking at the bare
bones thing, like the only guys on the roster under
contract moving forward of significant consequence to my understanding the
last time I looked Jhannis Dame Kuzma and then Pat
(18:31):
Coninton's got like a nine and a half million dollar
player option that he's almost certainly going to pick up.
Speaker 3 (18:36):
So what are you what are you really left with?
Speaker 4 (18:38):
Like, how are you gonna to turn that you know,
house of cards into like a palace for King Janis
to rule forever? So because of the bear bones ness
of the situation, because the Kusma trade didn't work out,
that's why everyone's expecting the honest will finally say hey,
I want out. Also because he's teased it to the
(19:00):
New York Times and his brother's podcast and whoever for
a couple of years now, so it seems like more
likely than ever before, but it's still early. It's only
May fifth, happy sinco de mayo to you and.
Speaker 1 (19:11):
Happy, and I think also it's important to note that
they don't really have other ways of stockpiling players other
than trying to go out and operate on the fringes
because they've traded all their draft picks away for the
two guards that they you know, one won a championship
(19:33):
with with Drew Holliday and the Pelicans, and then traded
a bunch more to Portland for Damian Lillard. So to me,
it feels like it's more inevitable that he would want
to leave. But you think even with the bar Bones
that Milwaukee, Milwaukee doesn't really care if if they have
Giannis and they have a bear bones team that's not
(19:54):
very good, that's good enough for them.
Speaker 4 (19:57):
I think, so. I mean, they have wanted to tweak
things on the edges and turn the paper a little
bit for as long as they could, so I don't
really see that changing. I mean, it's so early, like
we could get to we're a week out from I
mean this weekend, a lot of NBA personnel are going
(20:20):
to first get to Chicago. Then like come Monday, there's
going to be everyone in town for the NBA Draft
Combine and that's when a lot of first the lottery
happens on Monday, which will set the tone for the
top of the draft order, right, which will be you know,
monumental for whoever gets the number one pick, but then
down the board all these converts. You know, everyone's sitting
(20:42):
in the stands of win Trust Arena and you're whispering
to your buddies and you're going out for drinks and
whatever and all, and like, come the end of the week,
Milwaukee might just decide, you know, we're doing this on
our own like that that could be the course. We're
still in a little bit of a preliminary what's the
early chat or what's the early conversation. Then the market,
(21:03):
to go back to your nice segue from my personal
life to my work life, is that in the market
will start to take shape next week because all the
shoppers and the sellers are going to be coming together.
So it's also I'm gonna write about this probably sometime
this week.
Speaker 3 (21:21):
We're gonna put it out.
Speaker 4 (21:22):
It's also an interesting summer where there truly, as of
right now, is only one team with cap space, which
is like pretty typically a hyperbole to say that, oh,
there's only one team that's got space. What's literally only
one team right now has actual cap space, not just
max cap space, cap space, and that's Brooklyn. So because
of that, I think we're gonna see a lot of
(21:43):
teams active on the phones to make trades anyway, which
could also further embolden Milwaukee to be like, Okay, Kevin
urants on the block in Phoenix, and there's gonna be
someone else who emerges and becomes available somewhere else. We're
hearing what these types of packages could potentially be netting.
Speaker 3 (21:58):
For those guys.
Speaker 4 (21:58):
Well, what about Giannest that's kind of I think the
flow of how this all will unfold.
Speaker 1 (22:05):
And obviously Damian Lillard getting injured is one of a
million reasons that it didn't work out. From from your reporting,
did Damon Janie ever find their personal chemistry flow, because
I think when the trade was made, it.
Speaker 2 (22:21):
Was like, oh, this is gonna be a pick and
roll machine, and.
Speaker 1 (22:24):
It's like Yannis doesn't really want to set forty screens
a game that's not really Yanness the style. He kind
of wants to operate like Damian Lillard's ball in his hands,
getting downhill, dribbled, dribble cross step back three. That's like
Giannie's sort of that's what he would love to be
in an ideal world. And from what I yeah, who
(22:45):
doesn't want to be that? That's what we all want
to be And from what I have heard from other
people is just like Dame and Jannie didn't really love
the working relationship.
Speaker 4 (22:55):
I just think they never I mean clearly the person,
the results, and they had so many the up and
down injury things over the last two years. I just
don't think they ever really found it. And I don't
think there was Like I don't think there's enough to
write a story about Johannis and Dame. You know, the
chemistry wasn't there. I just think it wasn't there, Like,
(23:15):
they didn't really ever find it. And it's tough with
particularly when you have like you know, go back to
Harden and Bead in Philadelphia, when you just have two
guys together, there's just there is this pressure of like
you need to work off of each other. Like even
in Cleveland with Lebron and Kyrie, like there was so
(23:39):
much attention about like what can they do with pick
and roll between those guys and you can invert the pick,
Like there's so much almost like fetishization of can these
two all stars work together literally not just on the
same team, but in the same like system and play
design and ideally, yeah, like Dame is one of the
best creators at the top of the key with high
(24:00):
scream in the game, potentially ever top seventy five player
if Steph never was born. Damian Lillard's career arc and
legend is completely you know, outside compared to what it
is now, and he's still considered one of the top
seventy five players in NBA history. So the like stencil
(24:20):
was there, did they ever fill it in and make
it formidable?
Speaker 3 (24:24):
No?
Speaker 4 (24:24):
Some of it was injury stuff. I think some of
it was also, like Dame came from being the guy
in Portland. The whole building, you know this, the whole
building was wrapped around his finger, and Milwaukee has been
that situation for Rannis. So when you take two, you know,
one a's and one of them has to become the
(24:45):
one B. It's not necessarily the easiest thing versus in
Golden State, like.
Speaker 3 (24:51):
It was the Step Show, it is the Step Show.
Speaker 4 (24:53):
And Jimmy knew that and came in and followed orders,
followed suit so and and you know, when the Dubs
came to town and I talked to Mike Dunleaving people
from the coaching staff and Jimmy himself. That was kind
of a big theme that like Jimmy came here and
he fell. He fell in line, for lack of a better term,
behind Steph. So that's not again, none of this is
(25:16):
to say there was some clashing of the heads or
whatever between Johnis and Dame, but they clearly never found
the same synergy that like a Jimmy and Stuph did
pretty quickly in Golden State.
Speaker 1 (25:28):
Yeah right away twenty what they were twenty three and
seven in their last thirty games. So what did you
what did you think of how that Houston Golden State
series how it all ended up? Like was were you
more impressed by Houston and how resilient and formidable they
(25:48):
were as young as they are, or you know, was
it more in your mind a lens around like wow,
we're still getting this on a night tonight basis from
Steph Curry. Wow, even when it's a low scoring game
for him and still wow, his fourth quarters are just
fucking incredible.
Speaker 4 (26:06):
Yeah, there wasn't anything to me in the series that
was such a revelation because I've been high on Houston
all year, dating back to last year. I was so
in on outbiatic sat down with him for a story
and Golden State is Golden State to.
Speaker 3 (26:22):
Me, like they just are stuff.
Speaker 4 (26:24):
And I I remember thinking early in the Jimmy trade
stuff when you know Phoenix, A lot of my job,
I think is like thinking ahead of the actual actors
involved and looking at the math and looking at what
the egos and just opinions on either side are going
to be. And like, Phoenix just wasn't going to happen
to me unless there was something where Kevin Durant was
(26:45):
heading out the door. So I started thinking, like, Golden
States is the best option for Jimmy Butler to both
get traded and get paid. And I thought it would
work out well because he is so good off the
ball as a score rolling short role, all that kind
of stuff. So I wasn't so surprised. I have not
(27:08):
been so surprised at how well that situation has gone
to me. The thing that stood out the most, honestly
that that whole series is Jalen Green is so far
from where you would hope he'd be at this point
in his career, and it was evidenced by the type
of contract that he got last fall in his rookie
(27:29):
scale extension. We hardly ever, if have ever seen a
two plus one with a player option on year three,
which just goes to show that Houston valued him as
like a plus starter, you know, money for the next
three years. But then he'll only be twenty five by then,
and like that's a pretty critical stage of your career,
(27:51):
like before entering your prime what have you. But think
of all these guys around the league who were like
far more established before that point. I mean, and it's
probably the you know, upper echelant of that conversation, but
Luca was doing stuff like you know, Luca took the
Mavericks to the conference finals two years before he took
them to the finals even in Orlando, like Paula Bunkero
(28:12):
and Franz Wagner were not the most Like they weren't
They're neither of them have been like paragons of postseason success,
but they've gotten to their spots and like composed their will.
For Jalen Green to have that big thirty eight point
explosion in Game two after laying a total gooseg in
Game one, like admitting I was nervous the lights were
(28:33):
too bright, and then like not bouncing back again. It's
just tough and it's going to be a real thing
that Houston has to study and consider what do we
want from this guy. Do we want to invest in
his development and his growth and continue to run a
system that's going to help him develop into more of
(28:54):
a shock creater playmaker type or is he the salary
potential that we want to send out the door for
someone who already is that right now? So that, to
me was the most interesting storyline, plotline whatever to follow
in that series, because like, Amen Thompson's younger and you
kind of know what his thing is. It's just like,
(29:15):
can the guy be willing to shoot and able to shoot?
Alpern chan Gun is already an all star and his
weaknesses are athleticism and can he create scoring opportunities on
his own outside of getting you know, post touches and
what have you? And can an offense really run that successfully?
(29:35):
Can he really be a Nikole Jokic two point zero
hub kind of guy? But Jalen I think is a
real swing piece and all of that because he is tantalizing.
Potential is what it is, and when he's not putting
it together, it's kind of like a good friend of
yours who you want the best for, and you're just like.
Speaker 3 (29:54):
Come on, man, do the thing. That you know you
gotta do and he has. Yeah, I'm it's kind of tough.
Speaker 1 (30:04):
Because you can see the potential in what Jalen Green
can be. I was talking to somebody last episode, Chel
tallon Hoops, who thinks Jalen Green has the potential to
be an all NBA player. You've got Fred van Fleet
who said that Jalen Green has the most potential of
any two guard in the league, and he feels like
(30:24):
his upside is Aunt Edwards. So I guess from a
transaction standpoint, which is, you know what we come to
you for, and you look at Houston and I know
that you know, we're just day one of post mortem
here losing to a very good Golden State Warriors team.
Do you think they just run it back and hope
that Jalen Green develops into that now that he has
(30:46):
the experience.
Speaker 2 (30:47):
Do they do they pick up Fred van.
Speaker 1 (30:49):
Fleet's forty five million dollar option, who was awesome and
got better and better in this series.
Speaker 2 (30:56):
Like what do you predict they do?
Speaker 4 (30:59):
I do think and we wrote about this today on
the Steinline at mark Stein dot com. Come subscribe if
you're not already there. I do think they're gonna largely
run this back. The Rockets have been preaching patients all
season long, telling us, telling other teams that they are
not going to do anything rash. They're not going to
(31:19):
expedite their timeline. All these young guys were talking about
are twenty one to twenty three years old. They're still
three to four years away from their prime. They don't
want to do anything like trading for a thirty six
year old Kevin Durant and giving him a massive extension
that you know, really clogs up their books, that's going
to shorten their championship window. Like, they want to do
(31:40):
things that are gonna steadily open that championship window and
then leave it open for a long long time.
Speaker 3 (31:47):
They want to be as.
Speaker 4 (31:48):
Close to Oklahoma City as what Oklahoma City is currently
projecting as so I don't think as of now they're
gonna be paying an arm in the leg in their
house and everything going to go get yannis. Then again,
like they their series just ended, and who's to say
what they able decide, But for now, I think this
(32:09):
group will largely look the same. I do think that.
I mean, there's been a lot of buzz I would
say about Fred and Houston figuring out the option and
signing a new deal. Since the deadline, it seems like
a very mutual situation that both sides are kind of
locked in on him continuing to be this veteran mentor
guy there. So I'm not expecting a big change there.
(32:31):
The one question I really have right now that I
think is just easy to look at is Steven Adams
was terrific in that series, and there really isn't a
big free agent market right now. Miles Turner might be
in general the best for and if he goes back
to Indiana, is Steven Adams the best center on the market,
(32:54):
And like every single team that has the full mid level,
which is going to be around fourteen million, which is
a little bit north of what he made this year, Like,
are they going to be Is he going to be
lit the bell of the ball and have a starting
opportunity somewhere else we want to stay? I don't know,
but Steven Adams was so damn good in this series
and also really good with Alpi. So like, now are
(33:16):
the Rockets going to be looking? Are we doing a
two big man lineup kind of thing? Okay, see, I
think they were. They were plus twenty point six with
those two guys together, So yeah, it'll be interesting.
Speaker 2 (33:27):
Yeah, it really was.
Speaker 1 (33:28):
Steven Adams was awesome, so clutch with those free throws.
I know he only hit fifty six percent of them,
but he hit them when he needed to. Let's talk
about Detroit for a second, because when I saw them
in the offseason pick up Malik Beasley and Tobias Harris
(33:48):
and Tim Hardaway Junior, I was like, well, that's nice.
You know, that's like a fun some veteran leadership and
like some shooting, which they need desperately because they can't
draft guys that can shoot particularly well. But I didn't
expect it to turn into a seven or a six
(34:09):
game series with New York and like probably a series
where Detroit could have easily come away and won that series.
What do you think they have planned this offseason? Are
they thinking about patients the same way that Houston is
or is this another tweak situation in the offseason.
Speaker 4 (34:30):
More so, Detroit is one team that could, depending on
options and guarantees and stuff, they could, I believe, get
around twenty two million dollars in cap space. So it
would be interesting if they decide to be like, all right,
we're gonna be one team out here after a big run,
like you're saying that. You know, we just talked about
(34:51):
Steven Adams commanding the mid level from places like they're
gonna be only two teams that can offer above that number.
So if you just put twenty million on the table,
you're probably gonna get your guy. It's an interesting opportunity
for them. However, I do think that they're gonna largely
split that money up and reward those veterans that you
mentioned that the biases, the Malik Beasley's, Tim Hardaway Junior,
(35:14):
Dennis Schroeder. Dennis Schroeder was going to be dealt to Utah,
waved bought out whatever, and like on a VET minimum
deal and maybe kind of chasing minimum salary for the
rest of his career. But Detroit worked with his representation
to get him to the Pistons and it worked out
so well. I definitely would think there'll be some opportunity
(35:35):
to bring him back. So I don't think the Pistons
are gonna rush this thing. I mean, the biggest thing
with Detroit is Jalen Duran is going to be extension eligible.
He is not someone that Trajan Langdon's front office drafted
and he's not Kate Cunningham, so that just naturally leaves
the door open for questions to be asked. And you know,
(35:59):
there's a chance that he's not exactly the type of
center that that group wants, but it worked so well
this year.
Speaker 3 (36:08):
I spent a little bit of time around Detroit.
Speaker 4 (36:11):
I was at Games one through three of that series,
and then I never got back to that series just
with life and other travel happening. But Darren clearly is
a glue guy, Like he's not the veteran leader, you know, professionalism.
I wear my hard hat, follow my lead like Tobias Harris's,
(36:31):
but from like a goofy personality connectivity standpoint, while also
being a force when he's locked in and healthy and active.
I don't know if they be able to lose him
and what that would do to that, you know, upper
trajectory of this group right now. But yeah, they are
very formidable and like they did exactly kind of to
(36:56):
New York, almost identically to what Houston did to Golden State.
And I don't think that was a fluke. I don't
think we're gonna I mean, things could happen to injuries,
what have you. But I'm not expecting the Pistons to
like fall back down to the ten seed and they're
you know, stuck in the playing tournament next year. I
think this is a team that's kind of like Indiana
before them, cemented themselves as a new perennial playoff threat
(37:18):
in this conference, just with how good kid is and
what the other pieces behind him have have turned into.
Speaker 1 (37:24):
Yeah, and we didn't even see Isaiah Stewart really at
full force either.
Speaker 2 (37:28):
He was sidelined for jad and Ivy as much.
Speaker 1 (37:31):
Yeah, no Jade and Ivy either, So two really important players.
When they get fully healthy, we'll be able to see them. Also,
what what do you make of this Lakers roster? Because
Lebron does the thing that Lebron does every year, which
is put pressure on GM's in the front office to
(37:52):
get him more help. Says I'm not taking a pay cut,
says I'm not sure if I'm retiring. And I think
that mcl injury was real.
Speaker 2 (38:00):
But every year, right.
Speaker 1 (38:01):
At the end of the season, we get a new
Lebron James injury. It's a tale as old as time.
Now he has Luca and he's also now saying I'm
not going to even pitch Luca to stay. Lucas should
just make his decisions without me. They obviously lack of center.
Maybe that's a Steven Adams. What do you think they
need to do to get to the place where they
(38:25):
can achieve what the goal is? The lebron has pretty
much the end of his career, which is like actual
title contention, and.
Speaker 4 (38:33):
They definitely need a starting level center on this team.
I clearly know a lot of what I do is
taking the data points that teams show us the previous
transaction cycle, and the Lakers literally played a card and
then picked it back up. They went out and got
a bouncy, young, traditional rim running lob threat.
Speaker 3 (38:53):
So that's what Luca likes to play with.
Speaker 4 (38:57):
So if they are really focusing on that, which I
think they're going to, he's going to be eligible for
a contract extension, and you're gonna want to show loyalty
and commitment to this guy. That's what they're gonna do,
And they've already, you know, from my understanding, very quickly
after acquiring him, went and met with his people and
(39:19):
talked about the types of big men and teammates he'd
want to play with. And that was kind of a
precursor to going out and trading for Mark Williams, which
didn't work out, and he was posting funny memes on
Instagram about them losing. But that type of guy, I
think is probably where they're going to try to But
those guys don't grow on trees. Like how many twenty
(39:40):
three year old kind of franchise centers are actually going
to be available for trade, Like the Walker Kesslers that
you know, the Lakers have been linked to forever. Utah hasn't
really wanted to actually move him even though they have listened,
so right now, I don't know who that guy is
going to be. They might just be best ser served
by plugging and playing some veteran types, like they were
(40:03):
in on Yonis Valanciunas last year's free agency before we
signed with Washington, and they talked about trading for him
during the season as well. Like do they just kind
of plug the gaps with some veterans in the meantime
if they don't have that you know, long term partner
that they see for Luca available, maybe, But I think
just generally they need frontcourt depth and they need shooting
(40:25):
in two way two way shooting like that's what Luca
needs around him, and this roster didn't have that in spades,
especially when Reeves and Lebron are not playing at peak capacity.
If so many of your possessions are relying on Ruey
Hatchimore and Dori and Phinney Smith. They're both good shooters,
but to knock down Trump shots, how great is the
(40:48):
brilliance of those three playmakers anyway? So they'll need I
think more guys like that to also keep those guys
fresh throughout an a two game season, and like how
two of them on the floor not necessarily three of
them on the floor and that kind of stuff. So yeah, wing,
wing work and big men I think will definitely be
(41:09):
top of the shopping list for Rappa Linka's crew.
Speaker 1 (41:14):
Right before we let you go, because I know you've
got a hot date, let's play a quick let's play
a quick little scenario hypothetical because I have so much
I wanted to get to you, but I think this
is a great way to cap it off. So we've
got the draft lottery coming up, and everybody's looking to
get Cooper flag right who in your estimation if they
(41:36):
get the number one overall pick, will make the biggest
ripple in the NBA.
Speaker 3 (41:44):
I mean, it's a great question. I think.
Speaker 4 (41:47):
Right now, I'm just gonna I'm gonna give a shout
out to a small market that people don't really talk about.
If the Utah Jazz get Cooper Flag. They've been in
NBA side Beria for a couple of years now, right,
they trade Donovan, they trade Rudy, not in that order,
and they out they candidly they haven't really hit on
(42:09):
a draft pick since then. Right, But last year when
they were about to extend Larry markten, they were poking around.
They were calling Brooklyn about potentially trading for McHale Bridges,
and they were calling Atlanta about potentially trading for de
Jonte Murray. And if they got those two guys, there
(42:30):
was a scenario I've written about this that the Jazz
We're just gonna go all in in one fell swoop,
extend Larry, trade for those two dudes, and then go
to Paul Jeordan and say, you really want to go
to Philadelphia where you're forming a big three.
Speaker 3 (42:43):
We got a big four here.
Speaker 4 (42:44):
With you man, and the Jazz still have all the
draft picks and tradeable salary with you know, options and
non guarantees and whatever to like get their way into
any deal that they want. Right, they have all these
future picks from Cleveland, all this stuff from this and
they've picked up a couple other handful of second round
picks and what have you, being third team trade facilitators
(43:07):
like they were in the Luca Dantic trade, like they
were in helping Jimmy get to Golden State. So they've
got a lot of ammo to do something. I don't
think the Jazz are like raring to expedite this thing immediately.
But if you get Cooper and all of a sudden,
now you have in theory two all stars in him
and Larry Markinen. Just because again, when you've shown a
(43:30):
card before, you still have it in your hand. Like
the fact that they were poking around and willing to
start talking about quickly upgrading and trading for guys. I'm
not saying they're going to, but if they do, and
then particularly if the season starts well, like if you
if Cooper is having some type of Victor type you know,
early showing the Wow, this guy really is impacting things here,
(43:55):
and we're gonna need to potentially go pursue Chris Paul
and Traper Dan Fox next season, Like I wonder how
quickly that could come, Like does it come this summer,
does it come during the year. That's a very interesting
one to me, just because they have so much optionality,
Like if New Orleans and Philly gets it, then you
start to think about potential like oh, Zion and Joel,
like are they gonna be turning the page from those guys,
(44:18):
which would be fascinating in its own rate. But I
think for Utah it's the fact that they're they don't
have a Zion or Joel, so you suddenly introduce Cooper
Flag into that scenario. And also, like you zoom out too,
there's really no team in the West besides Utah who's
really even positioned to be tanking next year at all.
(44:39):
So what is that like If they're not anymore, then
like the West is even.
Speaker 3 (44:45):
More crazy than it's already been.
Speaker 4 (44:47):
You could say that's an argument to just be more
patient and you get Cooper and at another guy, you know,
get aj debonds to the next year type of stuff.
Speaker 3 (44:54):
But I don't know.
Speaker 4 (44:55):
The Jazz just have so much optionality that they never
get talked about. With the Rockets and the thunder in
the nets. Really in this group of teams that could
go get any player if they want to. So I
just wanted to put that on people's radar.
Speaker 2 (45:08):
That's a good one.
Speaker 1 (45:09):
That's a really, really good one when I have not
thought about at all. That's why you're the people's insider,
my man, Jake Fisher.
Speaker 2 (45:18):
What are you doing for dinner? You going to the
little sushi?
Speaker 3 (45:21):
We don't we don't do dinner. We don't do dinner.
Speaker 2 (45:24):
We don't do dinner.
Speaker 1 (45:25):
It's just is it just a walk in the park,
little little coffee?
Speaker 3 (45:29):
What is it?
Speaker 4 (45:30):
What's the I don't even know if it's I'm gonna
keep that information, uh close to the desk.
Speaker 1 (45:37):
Yeah, okay, But what is your what's your go to
first date? If it's not dinner, If it's not this
and it's not dinner, what do you want to do?
Speaker 2 (45:44):
What you normally my.
Speaker 4 (45:45):
Go to first date is like a bar with an
activity like you go to at night. No, like something
that's hot. Like there's a bar in the in the
West Village that I used to go to a lot
back in the day. Now it's called skinny No, now
it's called cellar. It used to be called the fat
Cat and it had like table shuffle board and ping
pong and pool that kind of stuff.
Speaker 3 (46:06):
An activity to facilitate conversation.
Speaker 1 (46:09):
Doing things in flirting. That's Jake Fisher breaking news, doing
his thing. I'll let you run. Thank you so much
for coming on. Well, we'll keep an eye on all
of these transactions. Definitely follow the steinline and Jake their
substacks awesome and follow him on bleacher Report and on
(46:29):
Twitter x and threads as well.
Speaker 3 (46:32):
Appreciate it.
Speaker 2 (46:33):
That's all the time that we have for this episode
that he checked.
Speaker 1 (46:36):
Huge thanks to my guy Jake Fisher for all of
his analysis. Hope that first date well well, or second
date or third date he said we don't do dinners.
That sounded like a smash situation. Back just straight to
the crib to go sushi. Come back Friday for an
a new episode, and check out the feed for past episodes.
Speaker 2 (46:53):
In the occasional mini episodes which will come.
Speaker 1 (46:55):
Unexpectedly like a Buddy Heeled Game seven nuclear explosion, and
do not forget to follow the heat check all season long.
Speaker 2 (47:01):
That means download and subscribe and tell your friends, even
tell your new puppies like mine.
Speaker 1 (47:07):
I'm still vacillating around the name, uh even once you
even talked.
Speaker 2 (47:10):
To in years. Follow us on TikTok a at this heap,
checking at Trista Creek on Twitter.
Speaker 1 (47:13):
Instagram, and threads. That's where I posted it with thanks again.
Why thanks again, y'all.
Speaker 2 (47:20):
We'll see you next time.
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